Françoise-Marie Jacquelin (1621–1645) was an
Acadia
Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...
n woman and wife of
Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour
Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour (1593–1666) was a Huguenot French colonist and fur trader who served as Governor of Acadia from 1631–1642 and again from 1653–1657.
Early life
Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour was born in France i ...
.
Biography
Françoise-Marie Jacquelin was born and baptized on 18 July 1621 in
Nogent-le-Rotrou.
[Baptized on July 18th, 1621 in Nogent-le-Rotrou in France (Source Jean-Marie Germe (2001) Les Amitiés Généalogiques Canadiennes-Françaises/DGFA Moncton 2003)] According to
Charles de Menou d'Aulnay, Jacquelin was the daughter of an actress in Paris. According to others, she was the daughter of a doctor,
or of a businesswoman.
In 1640 she sailed from
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
to
Port Royal
Port Royal () was a town located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest and most prosperous city in the Caribbean, functioning as the cen ...
to marry de la Tour. They settled at
Fort la Tour at the mouth of the
St. John River.
Jacquelin quickly became involved in the
Acadian Civil War, her husband's struggle with
Charles de Menou d'Aulnay for control of Acadia. She evaded a blockade d'Aulnay had established and returned to France to plead her husband's case to the king. She returned to Acadia with a warship laden with supplies for Fort la Tour.
In 1645, while la Tour was in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, d'Aulnay attacked the fort. Jacquelin assumed command of the garrison there, refused to surrender, and led a pitched three-day battle to defend the fort. On the fourth day, with the walls of the fort breached and having taken heavy casualties, Jacquelin surrendered. D'Aulnay executed the surviving soldiers. Madame de La Tour was forced to watch the hangings. She died three weeks later.
See also
*
Military history of Nova Scotia
References
1621 births
People from Nogent-le-Rotrou
1645 deaths
Acadian people
Women in war in Canada
Women in 17th-century warfare
Military history of Acadia
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